David Cameron ups the stakes on Scottish independence

At last, at long last, battle is joined. Two mighty warriors finally close and lock arms, binding themselves together in mortal combat. At stake is the fate of the nation whose ancient soil they trample in their struggle, whose heather will be watered with the blood of the fallen. Like two bellowing stags in the morning mist…

No, it’s no good, I can’t keep this up. David Cameron is in Scotland, where for some reason he decided to go all historical and dewy-eyed, banging on about Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, his Scottish grandfather and – Dear God – the Highland Clearances.

I get the reasons for this (“Hey, I do actually know something about Scotland”), but it did strike me as a bit Tartan Shortbread, the sort of stuff that tourists like but which isn’t of the first relevance to the lives of most Scots. But then, I haven’t lived there since 2001, so what do I know? Quibbling about the colourful set-up for the PM’s speech may seem petty, but I do it to highlight the concern that such stuff could distract from his central argument today, which was well-crafted and very important.

These points in particular deserve attention.

1. Mr Cameron has backed away from the you’ll-all-die-cold-and-alone excesses adopted by some opponents of devolution. Yes, he still raises questions about how an independent Scotland would function economically and how it would provide for its own security. But he concedes that actually it could:

I’m not going to stand here and suggest Scotland couldn't make a go of being on its own, if that's what people decide. There are plenty of small, independent nation states of a similar size or even smaller. Scotland could make its way in the world alongside countries like those.

Instead, he says, Scotland would simply be better off remaining in the UK. It’s a (much needed) injection of realism into the Unionist rhetoric that will make it harder for Alex Salmond and the SNP to portray the PM and friends as hysterical fear-mongers.

2. Mr Cameron is trying to put himself above party politics, attempting to persuade Scots that the Union is not a Conservative cause. As he admits, the Tory brand is still fairly toxic in Scotland:

I know the Conservative Party isn't currently Scotland's most influential political movement… and so more than a little humility is called for when any contemporary Tory speaks in Scotland. In fact some say it might be wiser not to speak at all.

He also acknowledges the argument that actually the Tories might benefit from independence. Some people, not all of them Tories, have suggested that an independent Scotland might make it easier for my party to get a majority in Westminster. But that doesn’t interest me.

Trying to reach above the partisan, Mr Cameron heaped praise on Scots Liberal and Labour figures alongside members of his own party:

And in Westminster the cause of progress has depended on the voices of politicians from Scotland – whether its been the liberalism of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and Joe Grimond… the progressive conservatism of Iain Macleod and George Younger… or the generous and humane radicalism of Donald Dewar and John Smith.

The message: saving the Union isn’t a Tory thing. You can vote No without feeling you’ve backed the Conservatives.

3. This is the most important point: Mr Cameron is offering the Scots more power. But only if they vote No:

…Let me say something else about devolution. That doesn’t have to be the end of the road. When the referendum on independence is over, I am open to looking at how the devolved settlement can be improved further. And yes, that means considering what further powers could be devolved. But that must be a question for after the referendum, when Scotland has made its choice about the fundamental question of independence.

As he does with almost tedious regularity and elegance, Alex Massie has already nailed this one, but here are my meagre thoughts:

This is a fairly dramatic move by the PM. Most Conservatives, and almost all of them in Scotland, have publicly opposed further devolution, believing it would be the thin end of Alex Salmond’s wedge, another turn of ratchet-mechanism of independence by stealth. Mr Cameron is now taking a different view: he’s happy to give away a few chips if it means he doesn’t lose the whole pot.

Yet the gambit raises questions. For one thing, isn’t the PM now open to an SNP charge of inconsistency? He opposes putting more devolution (“devo-max”) on the referendum ballot paper, insisting Scots should have a straight in/out question. But if he’s happy to offer more devolution, why not put it to the people? The PM will need a good answer, especially if he’s to avoid the suspicion that this is all just a bit of ruse to forestall independence. Indeed, it was notable that when the PM was asked today what extra powers he’d give Scotland, he was a bit short of detail. That's something that needs rather urgent attention in No 10.